Orozco Faces Honorio

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By Steve Kim

Tonight from the Del Mar Fairgrounds near San Diego, CA, junior welterweight Antonio Orozco takes on veteran Martin Honorio for the vacant NABF title as the main event on Fox Sports 1. This match-up was originally scheduled to take place on April 26th at the Home Depot Center in Carson in support of Keith Thurman vs. Julio Diaz and the memorable match-up between Lucas Matthysse and Johnny Molina.

But the fight had to be postponed as Honorio, who hails from Mexico City, was late in processing his visa. The night before the weigh-in last month, Orozco was informed by his manager, Frank Espinoza that this assignment would have to be moved back.

“I mean, it happens,” said Orozco, who was remarkably understanding about the situation. “It’s not the first time it’s happened to me. I think the worst is when my opponent shows up with a broken hand. What makes up for it is that I got to come back home.”

Orozco recalls, “We took care of all the paperwork that had to be done and then they let us know later that there were a few problems going on with the opponent.” And just like that, “We went from being a fighter to a spectator,” said Orozco with a laugh. “I actually made it to that great show, Molina and Matthysse. So it was well worth it.”

“Sometimes you just gotta take it and we understand the business and we just keep on moving,” said his trainer, the perpetually upbeat Carlos Barragan. “For us, you can complain but we understand the business and things like that happen. You just have to keep on working.”

Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez explained that Honorio was approved for his visa and entry into the States but with the backlog at the Mexican consulate, he was unable to process his papers. “Finally, we had to cut the fight,” said Gomez, who informed Orozco and his representatives that this fight would be quickly rescheduled on a future GBP card. It just happened that they had this show.

“I’m happy that it played out the way it did because now were putting him there but it kinda screwed us up because we’re going to end up losing money on the show. We’re way over budget by adding Orozco on there but it’s worth it. He’s one of our prospects and I’m very high on the kid,” said Gomez.

“We were very disappointed when we got the word that there were some complications with Honorio a few weeks ago. That’s always the toughest news to break to a fighter, that all their hard work was for nothing but I give Golden Boy a lot of credit. They came up with a quick solution,” said Espinoza. “2014 is a pivotal year for Antonio. Last year, he wasn’t as active as we wanted. Hopefully we can get more than two fights this year. He’s at that stage where we need to step him up but also continue to hone his skills.”

Orozco kicked off the year with an exciting back-and-forth slugfest against Miguel Huerta – in which he got buzzed badly in the first and then stopped Huerta in the second - and with a win versus Honorio, he’s not only on pace to fight four times in 2014 but to also appear on bigger platforms.

“Definitely, definitely. If he comes out OK, no injuries, no cut, nothing, he’s the type of guy that can fight [again] very fast,” said Gomez. “I’m already talking to Frank about [Orozco]’s next match and we discussed possibly being underneath [Saul] ‘Canelo’ [Alvarez, who fights Erislandy Lara on July 12th in Las Vegas].”

After the weekend of April 26th, they began the delicate process of maintaining a training schedule that wouldn’t make Orozco stale after already having been through a long training camp. According to Barragan, “The first week, we just added some sparring sessions and then we adjusted the schedule so that he could add some sparring sessions just to keep him sharp and then we just maintained the weight all the way through.” The last sparring session leading into this fight was just last Saturday.

“Now we’re back to fight week and we’re maintaining the weight and the good thing is the fight’s on Thursday and I’m just thankful that Golden Boy got us right back in - and with Frank’s relationship with Golden Boy - the next available date. They got us right back in and that’s what keeps Orozco sharp, that consistency,” continued Barragan.

For Orozco, 19-0 (15), this was just a small hiccup.

“I feel fine; I feel great,” said the 26-year-old from Garden City, Kansas, now residing in San Diego. “I actually felt good getting a couple of days off. My body got the rest that it needed and like I said, it was back to work the following two weeks. Now we’re just looking forward to this fight. It worked out perfectly. I get to fight in front of my local fans and it’s great. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t let go of - so now we’re here.”

Tickets priced at $150, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, will be on sale tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. PT and are available online at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and at StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, please call 877-234-8425.

TNR

Here’s the latest episode of “The Next Round” with Gabe Montoya and Yours Truly:

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